Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Off Topic ~ Australian Actor Heath Ledger has died

Very, very sad news today..... Aussie actor, Heath Ledger, has died. I thought he was very talented. My favorites among his films are Ned Kelly, Monster's Ball, The Patriot & Brokeback Mountain. I'm a huge Batman fan, so I am looking forward to Heath playing the Joker. He has been excellent in all the clips & trailers I've seen for it. I just can not believe this!

At the moment, they believe the medicine found at the scene is over the counter sleeping pills.

Per MSNBC ~

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28.

According to WNBC, Ledger was found with pills strewn all around him.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper, who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there, found him unconscious at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET, according to the New York Times. After receiving no response from the actor after shaking him, they called authorities.

The Australian-born actor was nominated for an Oscar for “Brokeback Mountain,” where he met his wife, actress Michelle Williams, in 2005. Ledger and Williams had lived in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, until they split up last year.

Ledger was to appear as the Joker this year in “The Dark Night,” a sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.” He’s had starring roles in “A Knight’s Tale” and “The Patriot,” and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in “Monster’s Ball.”

Ledger grew up in Perth, and began doing amateur theater at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.

His latest role was in “I’m Not There,” in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan — as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

I'm still in shock! This is so tragic, he was a great actor, so talented, and an Aussie like our beloved Alex. I can't believe it! He was just a kid! My heart goes to his family and his little daughter.